Constant
by Tonoxic
Summary: There were missions where he got a bit sentimental. It made him feel like the world was irregular and fleeting. It was a cheating place. She was his foundation to fall back on when these feelings arise. Rated T for swearing and adult themes I guess.


There were missions where he got a bit personal.

He knew he wasn't supposed to but he couldn't always help it. He was hired help; paid to get the job done, take his money then leave. Of course there were barriers to the jobs he took but not all of those barriers kept him safe. Not all those barriers kept him from judging or thinking or…whatever. Once, he had to guard a travelling noble. There was nothing much to it really. All that had to be done was to ensure that some guy got from point A to point B safely.

He just happened to think this noble deserved to be murdered in the most brutal way possible.  
>Disgusted with himself, he shook the thought away. No matter how much of a pig this guy was, he had something to do. Not in all missions could he get away with punching everything in his way. Despite popular belief, he held onto some limits. He knew there were some things he absolutely couldn't do. Punching his employer was one such thing.<p>

Despite this, he couldn't help but feel a little dirty on the inside. The fact that he had to ignore the glares thrown in his direction as he walked alongside the carriage burnt him. The villagers had lined the road, some baring garden supplies and clubs threateningly. The second they saw him walking with the carriage, they tensed. Many cursed. He looked forward, trying not to catch their eyes.

"The coward hired Salamander…"  
>"He needs a mage to hide behind after all the shit he's done…"<br>"If I could get my hands around his thick, fucking neck I'll…"

He continued to walk forward, not paying heed to their bitter glares and blustering words. He wouldn't be able to get his job done if he did. These people's sentiments shouldn't bother him. He couldn't let them kill a man in front of him. It wasn't until a woman broke free from the crowd, her hands wielding a kitchen knife that Natsu's feet stopped. She flung herself into the streets, pointing the knife towards him, the tip nearly touching his chest.

His eyes travelled from the steel knife, up her trembling figure till they landed on her face. Her blue eyes were filled with tears and her brown hair fell unruly over her forehead. She was fifteen at most.  
>"I do not care who you are!" she chocked out. "I shall not allow you to leave this place with that monster. He's out on the streets; give him to us! You cannot comprehend what he has done! Its monsters like him with his connections and money that make this world hell to live in!"<p>

She pushed the knife forward some more, it brushing his waistcoat aside and grazing his skin. He stared back at her with cold eyes. Tears continued to flow out of hers. She bit her lip before she managed to let out another cry.  
>"THAT MONSTER GOT MY BROTHER KILLED!"<p>

Natsu could hear his heart beating in his ears but his face betrayed no emotion. He felt dirty; ugly even. He could leave this guy to the villagers, watch them tear at his throat. He could kill him himself...he was more than capable...

No, he couldn't. He wouldn't.  
>Slowly, he lifted his hand to her armed one before placing it at her side.<p>

"Sorry." he mumbled pathetically. Seriously, that was pathetic. Was all he could do was grumble out half-assed apologize while guarding someone he himself found hating since the moment he saw him? Was that all the man, who was capable of single-handedly tearing down whole buildings, able to do?

A head attached to a porky neck stuck itself out of the carriage. His icy blue eyes gleamed and a sly smile donned his lips as he played with his pencil moustache.  
>"Ah, Mr Salamander," his thick voice rolled out of his clogged wind-pipe. "Can't you deal with this threat on your own? I see you leave me with no choice."<br>Natsu heard a warning cock of a gun before he turned to the lard ball, his green eyes small and dark with rage.  
>"Try anything…I dare you…" he warned in a low, dangerous tone. "I would be the one to personally maim you…"<p>

The man's gun dropped as fast as his face did. Needless to say, the journey was a very silent and tense one; the passenger of the carriage fearing for his life.

* * *

><p>Another time, it was a mission he would usually be glad to do; a mission that involved punching a good amount of people in the face. The mayor of the town had caught wind of a group of infamous bandits planning to pass through the town. He had been sent with Gray and Happy. The mission wasn't anything too hard; they just had to ambush the bandits before they knew what hit them.<p>

They came to the town a few days early. The villagers loved them. They loved the protection of mages and the fact that those mages were a bit more than amiable. Natsu and Gray had taken liking to a bar in town during their wait, spending their time drinking and raining down jokes on the folks. It was a jolly time they had but they got careless. Even if it was by a little bit, they got attached to these people.

There happened to be a little girl, no more than age nine, who was always there among the alcoholics. She usually sat by the bar, a teddy bear at her side and a glass of orange juice in her hands. Her strawberry coloured hair was pulled into short pig tails and her amber eyes always showed boredom. Apparently, her father ran the bar and she opted to stay there instead of play with kids her age.

It was really his fault; deciding to take interest in this girl. She was always so quiet, it sparked his attention. He, in drunken haziness, asked her about her solitary. She glared at him at first but he only sat there, a drunken smile on his face as the whole bar watched on.

"I don't have friends. That's why." she finally murmured out. He smiled at her before sticking out his hand towards her. She watched it curiously.  
>"You wanna be friends?" he asked.<br>She looked taken aback before her small hands hesitantly reached out to shake his.  
>"Sure."<p>

It was a week later that he found himself putting flowers on her grave. Really, it was carelessness that got her killed. The bandits had arrived earlier than they anticipated, resulting in the slaughter of a few the residents. It was in the middle of the night so by the time they pulled themselves out of bed; a few lives were already lost. The bandits themselves weren't difficult to subdue but the damage had already been done. Natsu remembers it clearly; her small body sprawled in the road, blood pouring from the rip in her stomach. Her strawberry hair was splayed around her in short, dirty waves. A dry trickle of blood stained her lips as her large eyes stared emptily towards the stars. A few other bodies like hers dotted the streets. The scene made him feel sick. He blamed himself for the tragedy. He could feel the guilt bubbling up in his stomach, rising in his throat as bitterness. Gray told him it wasn't his fault but even he was kicking himself. They both knew where the blame was to be placed.

* * *

><p>It was nights after missions like these that Natsu found himself stumbling down the road by the river, inclined on getting himself somewhere with a regular beat. His feet would climb the vines near her window and he would sometimes knock on the glass when he got there. Sometimes he just let himself in but this time he knocked and waited.<p>

After what seemed like a dragged out period of time, footsteps approached and the window was opened for him to let himself in.  
>"Natsu, are you okay?"<br>It was around 2 in the morning and she was in her pyjama shorts and tank top, looking as cute as always. He grinned up at her.  
>"I'm fine, Lucy."<p>

He could see her lips pulling down in that disapproving frown. She hated to be lied to.  
>"Natsu..." she managed to mumble out before his lips pressed down onto hers. He pulled away from her, his eyes looking into hers pleadingly.<br>"Not now Lucy. I can't. Not now."

She could see the desperateness in his eyes as he wanted relieve from the matter instead of to discuss it. She sighed before nodding, her lips pulled into a slight, understanding smile.  
>"Okay." she said before slipping her fingers into his hair and pulling him down to her lips. He kissed her back fervently. He needed her. He knew that she wouldn't judge him or disappear from his life just like that. At least he hoped she wouldn't. She was the rock that he needed to fall back onto.<p>

Slowly, she began to step back towards her bed, pulling him along with her. He kicked of his sandals before he fell on top of her on the soft mattress. Their skin brushed and their lips stayed in lock. He broke away to trail kisses down her neck.  
>"Luce…" he breathed hotly against her ear before biting down on it. She mewled as she swung her feet around his waist, aiming to have as much body contact as possible.<p>

"Luce…" he groaned again as she rolled her hips onto him. She opened hazy eyes. "I love you, Luce."  
>She smiled at him, cupping his cheeks to make him watch her. "I love you too, Natsu."<br>Then, her mouth was on his again, her lips parting to let his tongue in. She moaned softly as she felt his warm tongue. His hands roamed her clothed body, slipping under her shirt to caress her waist.  
>Clothes came off in time and dropped to the ground. As her body brushed his, he knew one thing.<p>

She was someone he became dependent on; a constant. The world was something that was unfair and paced too uncertainly for him. He needed something so he could help himself keep sane. That was Lucy. Without her, he would surely be lost.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

_Hello people. I was feeling a bit pissed so I wrote a one-shot! Yay! It has been more than a year since I last wrote one. Fail angst? Anyway, first Fairy Tail fanfiction. I love the couple Natsu Lucy. They are reaaally adorable. I can't wait to see how their relationship would work out in the manga! Once a week seems like too long of a wait for me! I wish I could come home from school and there's an update!_

_Anyway, please leave a review telling me what you think. Some constructive criticism would be nice too. _


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